Naloxone played a big part in overdose deaths dropping 9% last year in Ohio

In Montgomery County, which has seen large numbers of overdose deaths in the past year, there is a 46% drop in overdose deaths in year-to-date comparisons of January through September in 2023 compared to the same time period in 2024, according to the Community Overdose Action Team.

There were 239 overdose deaths reported in Montgomery County in January through September in 2023 compared to 129 in that same time period this year. To date, there have been 137 overdose deaths in 2024, according to preliminary data from the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office.

More than 20,000 overdoses reversed

More than 20,000 potential overdose deaths were diverted due to access to naloxone kits provided through Ohio’s Project DAWN, which stands for “deaths avoided with naloxone,” the state’s department of health reported.

Access to naloxone, education on opioid overdoses and harm reduction services are all aspects of the Ohio Department of Health’s Project DAWN and part of the multiple factors reducing overdose deaths, according to DeWine.

“Despite the progress we’ve made in reducing overdose deaths, far too many Ohioans are still losing their lives, and many of these overdoses are preventable,” said ODH director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff. “I urge every Ohioan to obtain naloxone and learn how to use it. It’s a simple step that saves lives.”

The state has been aggressive in its distribution of naloxone kits, DeWine said. Naloxone, or Narcan, is a treatment that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose and is most commonly in the form of a nasal spray.

ODH has increased the number of naloxone kits it has distributed by 520% since 2019. Last year, ODH distributed 291,000 kits, DeWine said.

“These kits are in fact saving lives,” DeWine said.

Overdose hospitalizations also decreasing

Prior to Ohio’s 9% decrease in overdose deaths in 2023, the state saw a 5% decrease in overdose deaths in 2022, which was better than the 1% increase seen nationwide, according to state data.

“Behind each of these numbers is a family saved and a family spared the heartache of loss, like my family. This progress is no accident,” said Aimee Shadwick, director of RecoveryOhio.

The state’s recently released overdose report shows Ohio is seeing more success through the end of 2023 and into this calendar year. In 2023, there was a 24% decrease in the number of overdose deaths from the second quarter to the fourth quarter, the state said.

These efforts are happening at the same time that Ohio hospitalizations for opioid overdoses have declined for six consecutive years starting with a drop in 2018 going through 2023, the Ohio Hospital Association says. The association’s dashboard shows there were 9,260 hospital encounters involving an opioid overdose in 2023 in all of Ohio, down from a high of 34,377 in 2017.

Total hospital encounters involving opioid overdoses, according to the Ohio Hospital Association:

Those patients were more commonly white men between the ages of 18 and 39, according to the association’s data, with the 40-64 age group being the second highest.

Peer supporters, treatment programs increased

State officials highlighted other measures its departments have been taking to reduce overdose deaths, including expanding opportunities for peer support programs and workers.

“We know that lived experience is powerful. Peer supporters are individuals in recovery from substance use disorder or mental illness. They leverage their personal experience to help others achieve and sustain their recovery through perspective, through empathy, but most importantly through hope,” said LeeAnne Cornyn, director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OMHAS).

Since 2019, the state has certified 6,000 new peer supporters, and 3,300 of those individuals remain in the field currently, Cornyn said.

The state, with support from lawmakers, invested $73 million to help finance nearly 200 projects and thousands of new housing units for individuals with a mental illness and/or substance use disorder, she said.

Law enforcement utilizing new tech

The Ohio Department of Public Safety went over its and law enforcement’s efforts to curb access to illicit drugs, including utilizing the Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center, which opened in 2019 to develop technology and tactics to detect, identify and intercept dangerous drugs.

Since 2019, the Ohio State Highway Patrol has contributed to removing nearly 110,000 doses of opiates and more than 900 pounds of fentanyl from Ohio’s streets, the state said.

In 2023, more than $2.4 million in RecoveryOhio grant funding from the state led to the creation of 32 drug task forces, which helped identify drug traffickers and dismantle large drug trafficking organizations. Locally, the Greater Warren County Drug Task Force received a grant of $115,299 and the sheriff’s offices in Butler County and each received $7,500.

In January 2023, the Ohio Department of Public Safety launched Operation New Beginnings with the Ohio State Highway Patrol and outreach partners statewide, said Andy Wilson, director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety.

“This initiative connects individuals arrested for impaired driving with vital mental health and substance abuse resources at a crucial moment in their lives,” Wilson said. “Now active in 44 counties, it embodies our commitment to reducing fatal crashes and helping people find a healthier, safer future.”

By the numbers